Fallen AngelsNoel CowardTheatreWorks Silicon ValleyImagine in 1925 a twenty-four-old aspiring playwright writing a riotous comedy about two married women plotting together to have a weekend fling with a visiting Frenchman while their husbands are off on a golf holiday! Ninety years later, such a set-up seems a bit ho-hum; but at a time when women had just won the right to … [Read more...] about “Fallen Angels”
“The Book of Mormon”
The Book of MormonTrey Parker, Robert Lopez & Matt Stone (Book, Music & Lyrics)SHNOrpheum TheatreThe perfect musical: What constitutes such a thing? Soaring music that people are humming as they leave with some lyrics they are actually remembering and mouthing? Choreography that is letter-perfect and both traditional and up-to-the-moment current? … [Read more...] about “The Book of Mormon”
“My Fair Lady”
My Fair LadyAlan Jay Lerner (Book & Lyrics); Frederick Lowe (Music)Broadway By the BayFox Theatre, Redwood CityThrough an imaginative set, a few clever directorial touches, and inspired casting of the lead heroine, Broadway By the Bay has staged a My Fair Lady that leaves its own unique niche in the long history of this much-produced gem of the American musical genre. … [Read more...] about “My Fair Lady”
“A Little Night Music”
A Little Night MusicStephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics); Hugh Wheeler (Book)American Conservatory Theatre“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” not only applies to Dickens’ Paris but unfortunately also describes the American Conservatory Theatre production of the Sondheim and Wheeler modern classic of A Little Night Music. So much of the evening at A.C.T. … [Read more...] about “A Little Night Music”
“This Golden State, Part One: Delano”
This Golden StatePart One: DelanoLuis AlfaroMagic TheatreBoth churches and theatres involve people (often strangers) sitting close together in an auditorium, sharing emotional experiences, and then exiting somehow more closely knit than when entering. Luis Alfaro has heightened those similarities in dramatic form in his This Golden State, Part One: Delano, now in its … [Read more...] about “This Golden State, Part One: Delano”
“Heathers: The Musical”
Heathers: The MusicalLaurence O’Keefe Y Kevin Murphy (Book, Music & Lyrics)Ray of Light Theatre Presenting at the Victoria Theatre, San FranciscoTime and again in the past few years, Ray of Light Theatre has produced quirky, exciting, new musicals that most other local theatres probably would not consider offering (Carrie the Musical, Triassic Parq, Yeast Nation, Jerry … [Read more...] about “Heathers: The Musical”
“Hookman”
HookmanLauren YeeEncore Theatre Company,In Association with Z SpaceThe scene opens innocently enough. Two seventeen-year-old girls, home in California for a holiday break from their respective colleges, banter back and forth driving toward the audience in a skeleton frame of a car as they head to a late-night movie. Their fast-paced, Twitter-like discourse where … [Read more...] about “Hookman”
Compleat Female Stage Beauty
Compleat Female Stage BeautyJeffrey HatcherNew Conservatory Theatre Center,Decker TheatreA fascinating chapter in theatre history comes to life in Jeffrey Hatcher’s Compleat Female Stage Beauty as we witness the moment when women take to the stage in 1661 Restoration England after a period where all female parts had been only played by men. Inspired by actual events and … [Read more...] about Compleat Female Stage Beauty
“Trouble Cometh”
Trouble ComethRichard DresserSan Francisco PlayhouseIntense. Frenetic. Fun(ny). Eye-popping. Richard Dresser’s Trouble Cometh in its world premiere at San Francisco Playhouse delivers this and more in its wham-bam, take-no-prisoners, seventy-five minutes. A white-walled, windowless room with a plain worktable and eye-hurting bright lights is maxed … [Read more...] about “Trouble Cometh”
“Fifth of July”
Fifth of JulyLanford WilsonAurora TheatreAn octet of family and long-time friends collect in the small living room literally at the audience’s feet in the intimate setting of the Aurora. Night has set in on July 4, 1977. Before twenty-four hours pass, a number of major transitions are going to occur, some more easily and happily than others. Hopes and … [Read more...] about “Fifth of July”
“One Man, Two Guvnors”
One Man, Two GuvnorsRichard Bean(Based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo GoldoniWith songs by Grant Olding)Berkeley Repertory Theatre Roda Theatre, BerkeleyEven from the lobby of Berkeley’s Roda Theatre, delightful, fun-sounding music from some unseen band fills the air as we enter to see Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors. Once inside the auditorium, we see … [Read more...] about “One Man, Two Guvnors”
“Talley’s Folly”
Talley’s FollyLanford WilsonAurora Theatre CompanyHarry’s Upstage TheatreWalking in to visit an old friend not seen in years, I always wonder if our reunion will be as good as I remember our first meeting. Such is my feeling as I enter the small, intimate Harry’s Upstage at the Aurora and see the somewhat familiar “folly” before me – a latticed, gazebo-looking boat … [Read more...] about “Talley’s Folly”
“Oh No There’s Men On The Land”
Oh No There’s Men On The LandKaren S. RipleyThe MarshCabaret, BerkeleyAs my husband and I settled into our seats and table in the intimate, cozy Cabaret of the Berkeley Marsh for the 5 p.m. show, we soon started to feel a bit uneasy as we realized that we were the only two men in a room of women, many of whom clearly knew each other and most of whom appeared to be possible … [Read more...] about “Oh No There’s Men On The Land”
“Where’s Charley?”
Where’s Charley?Frank Loesser (Music & Lyrics); George Abbott (Book)42nd Street MoonEureka Theatre, San FranciscoThere is something about a man cross-dressing as a woman that has left audiences howling in laughter through the ages, from Falstaff to Daphne & Josephine to Mrs. Doubtfire and Tootsie. Surely one of the all-time favorites of audiences the world over is … [Read more...] about “Where’s Charley?”
“The River Bride”
The River BrideMarisela Trevino OrtaFess Parker Theatre, Santa Clara UniversityA fairy tale is supposed to have an air of magic, a sense of mystery, and a promise of “happily ever after.” Certainly Marisela Trevino Orta’s The River Bride, as directed by Aldo Billingslea and presented by students of Santa Clara University’s Department of Theatre & Dance, meets these … [Read more...] about “The River Bride”
